She knew
by poison-apple98
Summary: Hermione thinking about her relationship with Ron throughout the years.


1st year

She knew that the way their hands were almost touching shouldn't mean anything to her because it definitely didn't mean anything to him. They were only friends because of Harry and whenever they were alone, it was kind of awkward. Yet, as they were waiting for Harry they started talking normally. No arguments, no tears (always on her part), and no crudeness (always on his part). Her heart beat a little faster and she stopped listening to him. Instead, she stared at his eyes, his freckles, his hair, even his lips, all enticing features to her. He had asked her something though and she couldn't answer. She felt her face heat up and color flood her cheeks. He had to repeat himself but she wasn't able to answer because Harry had walked down to the foot of the stairs below them. When she told Harry that she had never felt better, it was because of the red- haired boy standing next to her.

2nd year

She knew that Harry was worried about her, but she wasn't positive about Ron. She was almost sure that her being petrified was the least of his worries. Yet when she woke up, the nurse said her _two_ friends had just left. Each step towards the Great Hall filled her stomach with more and more butterflies. When she walked in she swept the Gryffindor table quickly for red hair. When she saw him lean back on the bench, with Harry behind him, her heart may have skipped. Not a lot though. She was just going to make it up to be that the medicine Madame Pomfrey gave her was making her feel funny. That was it. Hugging Harry first, she turned to hug Ron but stopped. _You're so stupid! He doesn't want to hug you! _So she pulled back. Not knowing how to make it less awkward, she held out her hand with what, she hoped, was an apologetic smile. His ears burned red and she prayed, to anybody that would listen, that he wouldn't go back to 1st year. She didn't need him mocking her again but, she swore he moved close to her when they finally sat down to eat.

3rd year

All year, she and Ron had argued. About everything. Including, over Harry's broom, over Crookshanks and Ron's ugly rat, even over whether Harry should be able to go to Hogsmeade. They spent half the year not talking to each other. Although she admits, never out loud, that she had started some of it, it still hurt her to know that Ron could so easily ignore her. As she saw the dog drag him down inside the tree, she got worried. _What if I never see him again! _It was in that moment when her heart was clenched with fear that she realized, that she liked Ron. Not as just friends but as more. As the events of the night unfolded and they finally crawled out of the Whomping Willow, she sat next to him and looked at his leg. He started rambling about how he'd have to get it amputated and he wouldn't survive and she couldn't help herself. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. She didn't care if he was being dramatic or that he may hate her for arguing with him but she really didn't care. All she cared about was the fact that he was safe.

4th

She had said _maybe _to Viktor in the hopes that Ron would pluck up the courage and ask her. There were days when they would sit across from each other in the Great Hall and his foot would bump hers. Every time, she was convinced that he did it on accident until he looked over from talking to Harry to give her a little smile. Turning around to look at Viktor, he smiled at her too. Never did she think that she would be having boy problems instead of Transfiguration problems first on her mind. 2 days before the ball, her dressed picked out, she said 'yes' to Viktor. In her mind she knew she would have fun but maybe she would have more fun with Ron. _No, _she told herself._ I will not think about _him_ at all tonight. _As soon as she walked in the Great Hall, now decorated like a winter wonderland, she saw Ron with one of the Patil twins on his arm. The discontented look on Padma's face made her smile. Later that night, storming out of the ball, Ron at her heels, she started to tear up. Of course, Ron had ruined it. Before she could think about what she was about to say, she screamed at him "Next time there's a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!" Kissing Viktor the next day made her uncomfortable. She kept thinking of Ron and his lips. They made up. He would smile and she would secretly hope he liked her back. He had never official apologized but she still forgave him. She just couldn't help it.

5th year

He walked up to her and leaned in really close. That was exactly when she realized that Ron was _attractive_ and when her face started to burn. _He's only your friend; he doesn't like you like that. _He told her he'd go easy on her. Like she needed it. She had more practice than him and they both knew it. She looked across the space at him and saw a twinkle in his blue eyes. He raised his wand and paused. Before she realized what he just did, she yelled 'Stupefy!' When all the other girls rushed over to her to congratulate her, she heard him tell his brothers he meant to do that. Part of her mind said that was absurd but the other part thought it could be possible. He had paused. Later on, when she was still upset that he let her win, she told him that he wasn't emotional enough. As soon as she said it, she regretted it. It wasn't his fault she liked him so much and he didn't return the feelings. During Christmas at Grimmauld Place, they kept making eye contact over from across the table. When he opened his present and looked at her, she could see that same twinkle in his eyes. The twins kept putting mistletoe around the house. She secretly kept hoping that they would run into each other around it. Christmas passed and so did their little moments. She could tell something was stirring in the Ministry. The arrived, they fought, some died, and they left. Walking to the train Harry said we all had something to fight for. She looked out of the corner of her eye at Ron and thought, maybe that is true.

6th year

Everything was fine to her. She even hinted that she was going to ask Ron to the Christmas party that Slughorn was hosting. Yet, as the Quidditch game approached, she noticed that Ron was ignoring her. She tried going through the past month but couldn't come up with anything she did wrong. When he kissed Lavender, she felt anger, hurt, and embarrassment. How could she be so stupid to think he liked her back? Seeing them run into the classroom her and Harry were in caused something in her to snap. She sent the birds on Ron and cried. She spent a lot of time crying over Ron lately. She avoided Ron as much and tried not to think about him. But he was poisoned. She couldn't just ignore that. As soon as she heard, she ran faster and faster to the hospital. Sitting next to him, she heard something that the others hadn't heard over the commotion. 'Er-my-oh-knee.' It took her a minute to control her heartbeat and keep her cheeks from burning. _He just said my name….in his sleep. He's dreaming about me. _Her mind raced a mile a minute. As soon as he was released, she hugged him and they made up. The fact that Lavender thought that they were up in the boys' dormitories by themselves, doing God knows what, made her unbelievably happy. They broke up and she couldn't help but smile. When Harry asked her what happened, she said that it was a nice day. She honestly thought the sun shone brighter now.

7th year

She had to admit, ever since she arrived at the Burrow the summer before, she couldn't tell if her and Ron were ever going to be together. He had asked her to dance at the wedding and even held her hand when she couldn't sleep at Grimmauld Place. Then they got the locket and he would snap at her. She didn't want him wearing the locket, but they all had to take turns. When he left, she was reminded of 6th year and, she cried. She tried to stop but that only made things worse. Then he came back and she felt happiness and had to resist the urge to jump on him and kiss him until they couldn't breathe, but she stopped herself and just glared at him. He deserved it for leaving her. He may have never come back and she would be devastated. Although he did come back and that made the whole experience a little better. At Malfoy Manor, the only thing keeping her sanity in check was Ron's voice. She could hear him screaming her name below the house. Bellatrix calling her filthy, dirty, and Mudblood, made her want to scream harder but she knew she wasn't those things. Ron had never called her those things so maybe Bellatrix was lying. She _was_ crazy. She was aware of the feeling of being carried but the voices she heard sounded far away. She was also aware of someone holding her hand and a kiss on the forehead and she secretly hoped it was Ron. She woke up to Ron sleeping against the side of the bed, his hand close to hers. After they left the room, everything seemed back to the way it was. Fleeting glances, small touches. The battle was drawing nearer and nearer. She couldn't help worrying. Not just for Ron, but for everyone she loved. And in that moment, it hit her. She loved Ron. More than anything in the world. As soon as Ron started to say that they needed to defend the house- elves, she couldn't help it. She kissed him full on the mouth. Her heart nearly stopped when he actually kissed her back. When they saw each other after the war, they never really talked about it. She knew the way he was clutching her hand shouldn't mean anything to her but it did. And she knew it meant the same to him.


End file.
